# ERNIE 5.1 vs Step 3.5 Flash

> ERNIE 5.1 is the stronger model overall, scoring 43.1 to 41.7 on the Noometry Index.

- Canonical page: https://noometry.com/compare/ernie-5-1-vs-step-3-5-flash
- Last updated: 2026-10-10
- Shared benchmarks: 18

## Summary

- They share 18 benchmarks with published results for both. ERNIE 5.1 scores higher in 6 categories and Step 3.5 Flash in 2 categories; 7 gaps are clear of the uncertainty.
- The widest gap is in writing & preference, where ERNIE 5.1 leads 65.3 to 59.0.
- The biggest single-benchmark swing is NYT Connections (extended): 23.4% for ERNIE 5.1 and 28.4% for Step 3.5 Flash.
- Step 3.5 Flash has downloadable open weights; the other is API-only.

## Snapshot

| | ERNIE 5.1 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Baidu | StepFun |
| Noometry Index | 43.1 | 41.7 |
| Rank | 87 | 116 |
| Context | — | 256K |
| Input $/M | — | $0.10 |
| Output $/M | — | $0.30 |
| Weights | Proprietary | Open |

## Coding

- ERNIE 5.1: 43.4 (#78)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 41.7 (#106)

| Benchmark | ERNIE 5.1 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Coding | 1488 | 1436 |

## Agentic & Tool Use

- ERNIE 5.1: —
- Step 3.5 Flash: —

| Benchmark | ERNIE 5.1 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Search | 1227 | — |

## Reasoning

- ERNIE 5.1: 20.9 (#209)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 21.2 (#202)

| Benchmark | ERNIE 5.1 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| NYT Connections (extended) | 23.4% | 28.4% |
| LMArena Hard Prompts | 1481 | 1411 |

## Math

- ERNIE 5.1: 37.5 (#96)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 40.6 (#77)

| Benchmark | ERNIE 5.1 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Math | 1481 | 1408 |
| MathArena Final-Answer Competitions | — | 66.8% |

## Knowledge

- ERNIE 5.1: 41.2 (#103)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 39.0 (#127)

| Benchmark | ERNIE 5.1 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Expert | 1491 | 1422 |

## Multilingual

- ERNIE 5.1: 55.7 (#28)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 50.7 (#115)

| Benchmark | ERNIE 5.1 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Non-English | 1455 | 1386 |
| LMArena Chinese | 1507 | 1448 |
| LMArena French | 1486 | 1421 |
| LMArena German | 1470 | 1404 |
| LMArena Japanese | 1422 | 1353 |
| LMArena Korean | 1428 | 1350 |
| LMArena Russian | 1459 | 1385 |
| LMArena Spanish | 1472 | 1419 |

## Instruction Following

- ERNIE 5.1: 76.9 (#35)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 73.3 (#119)

| Benchmark | ERNIE 5.1 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Instruction Following | 1460 | 1385 |

## Long Context

- ERNIE 5.1: 44.7 (#56)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 42.8 (#112)

| Benchmark | ERNIE 5.1 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Longer Query | 1462 | 1402 |

## Writing & Preference

- ERNIE 5.1: 65.3 (#50)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 59.0 (#108)

| Benchmark | ERNIE 5.1 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text | 1468 | 1403 |
| LMArena Creative Writing | 1440 | 1357 |
| LMArena Multi-Turn | 1471 | 1405 |

## FAQ

### Is ERNIE 5.1 better than Step 3.5 Flash?

ERNIE 5.1 is the stronger model overall, scoring 43.1 to 41.7 on the Noometry Index.

### Is ERNIE 5.1 or Step 3.5 Flash better for coding?

ERNIE 5.1 scores higher on coding benchmarks: 43.4 versus 41.7 in the Noometry coding category.

### How many benchmarks do ERNIE 5.1 and Step 3.5 Flash share?

18 benchmarks have published results for both models. ERNIE 5.1 has 19 scored results on Noometry and Step 3.5 Flash has 19.